Susan Eng, an outspoken civil leader and trailblazer in Toronto, has died at the age of 72.
The Chinese-Canadian National Council said Eng passed away back on July 26, surrounded by family. The cause of death was not announced.
In a statement, the CCNC praised Eng for being a “tireless advocate for human rights, and a fearless lawyer who called power to account.”
“A straight-A student in high school, Susan was told by the school’s guidance counsellor that she should get a job as a secretary after graduation,” the organization said in a statement. “Undeterred, Susan went to law school and became a lawyer instead. Susan rose through the ranks and eventually became one of a handful of Asian Canadians to make partner at a major law firm in Toronto.”
In 1989, Eng became the first Chinese-Canadian to serve on Toronto’s police services board. She would be appointed chair of the board in 1991, and during her four-year term, she pushed for greater police accountability, from the use of force to budgetary oversight. She went on to push for translation services for 911 calls and mandatory reporting each time a police officer unholstered their gun.
Eng joined the Chinese Canadian National Council in 1980 and went on to advocate for Canada to make amends for the racist Head Tax policy, which limited Chinese immigration for decades. Eng’s father had been forced to pay the tax. On June 22, 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologized in the House of Commons for the 62 years of legislated racism.
“Susan’s work and dedication to the community continued even as her health began to deteriorate within the past year,” said the CCNC. “Just days before she passed, Susan was still providing her input on how to document the important advocacy work within the Chinese Canadian community through the creation of archives.”
A community memorial is being organized for September 2025.
